SAP Research is the global technology research unit of SAP AG with a network of 13 research centers worldwide. Each center is located in close proximity to an SAP development center or on a university campus. The group significantly contributes to SAP’s product portfolio and extends its leading position in the market by identifying and shaping emerging IT trends and generating breakthrough technologies through applied research. In contrast to SAP’s product groups and development labs that work on new functions and releases, the researchers explore opportunities that haven’t yet been developed into products. The business model of SAP Research is based on co-innovation through collaborative research: in collaboration with leading universities, partners, customers, and SAP product groups, SAP Research drives the development of promising ideas and prototypes into market-ready software for maximum customer value.[1] To that end, customers are involved early on in the research process through special Lighthouse Projects. Meanwhile, dedicated Living Labs demonstrate technological research in real-world settings, thus turning prospective SAP solutions into tangible experiences.[2]
Among the leading research topics are the “Internet of Services” and the “Internet of Things”. The Internet of Services is about finding and combining services and information in order to fulfill unique requirements as precisely as possible. SAP Research spearheads efforts in the THESEUS research program, which was initiated by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (Germany).The program aims to develop a new infrastructure that will make finding and consuming services and information on the Internet more effective. Within the program, the TEXO project, led by SAP Research, is helping to create an Internet-based service economy.[3]
The Internet of Things seamlessly integrates physical objects into the IT world and makes them an active part of business processes: everyday objects, facilities, and machines, for example, communicate information about themselves among one another via integrated sensors.
Among the most recent successes of SAP Research are the opening of the Future Factory in Dresden,Germany – a joint effort of SAP Research as well as industrial and academic partner organizations to foster research and development for the manufacturing industry – and its participation in the Cooperative Research Centre on Smart Services (Smart Services CRC) in Australia.[4]